William Gregg – Source of the Hardware

“Source of the Hardware” is a 60-minute album with electro-acoustic music by New York-based composer William Gregg, originally released on a (now out of print) 1990-recording. Only the title track is a re-recording from the 1990 album, while the other 11 tracks are live recordings from a 2007 concert.

Inspired by personal experiences of the natural world and the effect of industrial civilization on nature, the majority of 12 tracks feature synthesizers and acoustic guitar, along two that combine violin and synths and another two (one is the title track) that are fully keyboard-based improvisations. Especially the pieces that integrate the soft soaring violin are very emotive and profound atmospheric.

“Source of the Hardware” is not that melodic instrumental music though, as a strong avant-garde/abstract current is making up each of the free synthesizer keyboard improvisations to which Mr Gregg performed an additional live part on the already mentioned acoustic guitar or electric violin. Despite not being cold in any sense, I wouldn’t call the outcome intimate either. “Invocation” is dissonant-ish, dronish soundscape, offering a dark description of industrial pollution.“Walkabout” and “Circular Path” both turn out positive and light-hearted, which also partly goes for the album opener “Borealis”.

All in all, the various moods and atmospheres captured on “Source of the Hardware” are both real-world and otherworldly, and occasionally also quite demanding.